EcoFriendly Foods, a player in the sustainable farming universe angling to join the advocacy game, has wisely chosen to recruit supporters for its new nonprofit arm via a “Launch Party Pig Pick” at Johnny’s Half Shell (400 North Capitol St. NW).

The official kickoff of the EcoFriendly Foundation is 1-6 p.m. Saturday; tickets to the all-inclusive event are $35 per person.
In the decade since he and his wife, Janelle, brought EcoFriendly Foods to life, co-founder Bev Eggleston has gained significant cachet among local chefs/restaurateurs (EcoFriendly Foods supplies many award-winning restaurants), consumers (products are available at various local farmers markets and retail shops) and “green” lawmakers (he has twice testified on food-related matters before the Oversight and Government Reform Committee at the behest of ousted Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich, D-Ohio).

EcoFriendly spokesman Colin Boggess said the nascent foundation is hoping to build on its pre-existing relationships — including an open line of communication cultivated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture — to play a bigger role in shaping national food policy. And the company is definitely interested in feeding Congress ideas.

“We want to collaborate and be friends in helping to feed Americans,” Boggess told HOH.

The coming-out party will feature 800 pounds of slow-cooked swine, including a 300-pound, signature Farmer’s Cross pig (Eggleston’s custom hybrid) as well as supplementary shoulders, butts and hams smoked overnight over oak and hickory charcoal. Side items — expect Southern staples such as chow-chow, baked beans and cornbread—are set to be provided by a number of EcoFriendly devotees; chefs Harper McClure (The Federalist), Robert Weland (Cork Wine Bar) and Nick Stefanelli (Bibiana) have agreed to pitch in.

As for why the Egglestons elected to throw an epic pig roast at one of the city’s iconic seafood restaurants, Boggess explained that it’s all about loyalty.

“Ann Cashion [Johnny’s co-founder] has been one of Bev’s most avid supporters,” Boggess said, adding that Eggleston “considers her the Alice Waters of the East.”